South Africa
My Life Before Islam
Bjorn Fortuin was born on October 21, 1994, in Paarl in the Western Cape of South Africa. From an early age he was draw
Learn MoreUnited Kingdom · Christianity
My Life Before Islam
Omar was a young British man from Birmingham who began questioning his religious beliefs at the age of 14. Raised in a
Learn MoreAisha Bhutta, formerly known as Debbie Rogers, grew up in a devout Christian family. She had a strong faith in God, but she always felt that
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My Life Before Islam
Dave Chappelle was born on August 24, 1973, in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, in a family th
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My Life Before Islam
Murad Wilfried Hofmann was born on July 6, 1931, in Aschaffenburg, Germany, into a Catholic family of intellectual stan
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My Life Before Islam
Éric Abidal was born on September 11, 1979, in Saint-Genis-Laval near Lyon, France, into a family of Martiniquais origi
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Elaine Aisyah, a Chinese woman, grew up with little exposure to other religions. Her journey to Islam began while she was studying abroad. B
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Martin, a man from Leeds, UK, grew up in a devout Catholic family. His early life was steeped in religious tradition; h
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My Life Before Islam
Giancarlo Esposito was born on April 26, 1958, in Copenhagen, the son of an Italian father from Naples and an African-A
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My Life Before Islam
Bilal (formerly Gregory) grew up in Belgium as a committed Christian, adhering strictly to church teachings. He led a l
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My Life Before Islam
Antonio García is a professional lawyer born in northern Spain and currently residing in Madrid. For many years, he liv
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My Life Before Islam
Hamid Algar was born in England on September 21, 1940, and showed from boyhood a remarkable gift for languages, masteri
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My Life Before Islam
Jennifer Harrell lived a life deeply rooted in Christian ministry. As a devoted Methodist youth minister, her world rev
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My Life Before Islam
Margaret was born in 1957 in Manchester, England, and raised in the Church of England. As she grew older, she began to
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Before finding Islam, Yusuf Islam was known worldwide as Cat Stevens, one of the most successful singer-songwriters of
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My Life Before Islam
Muhammad Ibrahim, born Reese Byford, grew up in London in a household where there was a strong, culturally ingrained di
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My Life Before Islam
Sinéad O'Connor was born on December 8, 1966, in Dublin, Ireland. Raised in a strict Catholic household in a deeply rel
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My Life Before Islam
Ramis was born in London to a Turkish Cypriot family. Although his background was technically Muslim, he grew up withou
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My Life Before Islam
Maryam Jameelah was born Margret Marcus on May 23, 1934, in New Rochelle, New York, into a Jewish family of German desc
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My Life Before Islam
Adam was raised in a 100% British environment in Liverpool. His parents separated when he was an infant, and he grew up
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My Life Before Islam
A Typical Swedish Upbringing: Abdul Haq lived the life of an average Swedish teenager, spending time with friends and
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My Life Before Islam
Nicolas Anelka was born on 14 March 1979 in Le Chesnay, near Paris, into a family that had moved from the island of Mar
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My Life Before Islam
Abdurrahman, an Italian man, grew up questioning Christianity from a young age and became an atheist at 16, rejecting t
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My Life Before Islam
Alexander Russell Webb was born on 9 November 1846 in Massachusetts and raised in the Presbyterian faith of his family.
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My Life Before Islam
Amin grew up in the Netherlands, a country known for its secular and liberal values. As a young adult, he identified as
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My Life Before Islam
Background & Upbringing: André (38 years old) was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. He grew up in a devout Chri
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My Life Before Islam
Mark Andrew, now known as Akram, was born in Birmingham, UK. He was raised as a devout Roman Catholic, never missing Su
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My Life Before Islam
I was an academic deeply immersed in the world of research at the prestigious University of São Paulo, specializing in
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My Life Before Islam
Upbringing and Spirituality: Esme was born into a very religious Catholic family in the Netherlands. Her original name
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My Life Before Islam
Upbringing & Environment: César (41 years old) was born and raised in the "favelas" (slums) of São Paulo, Brazil. I
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My Life Before Islam
Clarence Seedorf was born on April 1, 1976, in Paramaribo, Suriname, and moved to the Netherlands at the age of two, gr
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My Life Before Islam
Charles le Gai Eaton was born on January 1, 1921, in Lausanne, Switzerland, and raised in a London home without religio
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Life Before Islam
Eddie, a famous American TV host from Chicago known for "The Deen Show" with over 500 episodes, lived a typical youth life
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My Life Before Islam
Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor was born on December 7, 1953, in Durban, South Africa, into a distinguished family of anti-
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My Life Before Islam
Estela, who took the name Mariam, was born and raised in Madrid, Spain. She grew up in a simple Spanish family environm
Learn MoreDavid, an American revert, battled a severe addiction to alcohol and drugs. Although he identified as an atheist, his path to recovery led h
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My Life Before Islam
Nicola lived a troubled youth in France, characterized by a lack of direction and purpose. From the age of 13 to 20, he
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My Life Before Islam
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was born Ferdinand Lewis "Lew" Alcindor Jr. on April 16, 1947, in New York City, and raised as a Ca
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My Life Before Islam
Dr. Khaled Suleiman is a Palestinian academic from Jerusalem, currently working at the University of Ottawa in Canada.
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My Life Before Islam
Jeffrey Lang was born on January 30, 1954, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, into a Roman Catholic family, and spent eighteen
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Mickael was born and raised in France to a family of Italian heritage. He grew up in a devout Catholic household and wa
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My Life Before Islam
Abdur-Raheem Green (formerly Anthony Green) was born in 1964 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to British parents. His father
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Dr. Bilal Philips was born in 1947 and raised in Canada as a traditional Christian youth in Toronto.
During university,
Learn MoreA powerful story of reversion to Islam is that of former Dutch politician Joram Van Klaveren. Once a staunch critic of Islam and a member of
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My Life Before Islam
Mark was born and raised in the city of Marcq-en-Barœul, near Lille, in northern France. Before Islam, he describes his
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My Life Before Islam
Before embracing Islam, Marvin did not follow a specific religion, but he always held a firm belief in the existence of
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Raised in the suburbs of Strasbourg, France, Régis Fayette-Mikano (later known as Abdal Malik) lived a life torn between h
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My Life Before Islam
Jermaine LaJuane Jackson was born on December 11, 1954, in Gary, Indiana, the fourth child of the family that would bec
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My Life Before Islam
Kristiane Backer was born in 1965 in Germany and became one of the very first presenters of MTV Europe. She quickly gai
Learn MoreRahim Jung, a former musician from London, was once a renowned artist who had worked with international record companies. Raised in a non-re
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Before Islam, Ismael (then Louie) described his life as living in a "bubble" and a state of "deception."
He considered
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I was born and raised in London. Like many people around me, religion was not a central part of my life. I grew up in a
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My Life Before Islam
Franck Ribéry was born on April 7, 1983, in Boulogne-sur-Mer, a port town in northern France, and raised in a low-incom
Learn MoreKaren Meek, a 33-year-old from Lewisville, grew up with a skeptical view of religion. She considered it "ridiculous" and didn't believe in G
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My Life Before Islam
Mike Tyson was born on June 30, 1966, in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in a neighborhood of poverty and violence wher
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Life Before Islam
Raised in the suburbs of Strasbourg, France, Régis Fayette-Mikano (later known as Abdal Malik) lived a life torn between h
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My Life Before Islam
Ashley Anthony Chin was born on August 21, 1982, in Gypsy Hill in south London, to parents of Jamaican descent. Raised
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Life Before Islam
Hamza: The first time I heard something from the Quran was when I was working in a shop in Manchester, and my friend's sis
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My Life Before Islam
Upbringing & Environment: Husain grew up in the United States in an environment that encouraged sports and discip
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My Life Before Islam
Success & Fame: Jader began surfing at age 5 and became a professional at 15. He achieved massive success as a Braz
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Julia grew up in a strictly atheist environment in the UK, where religion was often viewed through a negative lens. Bas
Learn MoreUnited States · Catholicism
My Life Before Islam
Keith Ellison was born on August 4, 1963, in Detroit, Michigan, into a family with deep roots in the African American s
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My Life Before Islam
Interest in Religions: Kaim began his journey by attending a school for religious studies. He was particularly intere
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My Life Before Islam
Umair, a Brazilian ex-gangster, lived a "gore life" on the streets as a DJ and producer, deeply addicted to drugs, sell
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My Life Before Islam
Upbringing in a Small Swedish Village: Madeline grew up in a tiny Swedish village of only about 350 people. The environ
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My Life Before Islam
Mahdi (formerly known as Matthieu) grew up in Belgium. He was raised in a Christian environment and attended religious
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My Life Before Islam
Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father, Earl Little, was a Baptist minister
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My Life Before Islam
Upbringing in Armenia: Muhammad grew up in Armenia, a former Soviet republic located between Asia and Europe. In that
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My Life Before Islam
A Harsh Environment: Mujahid grew up in the United States to Colombian parents. His school environment was extremely di
Learn MoreJapan · None (Atheist)
My Life Before Islam
A Period of Personal "Jahiliyyah": Professor Okuda describes his life before Islam as a time of "ignorance" in a spirit
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My Life Before Islam
Erik Schrody, known to the world as Everlast, was born on August 18, 1969, on Long Island, New York, and raised in Los
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Rashid, a native of Spain, embarked on a transformative journey that led him from Catholicism to Islam. Growing up in a country deeply roote
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Rodrigo Nascimento lived in the violent world of "Heavyweight" competitions in the UFC. His life revolved around raw ph
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Shakeel Romero, a young man from London, found his path to Islam after a period of deep introspection and searching for meaning in his life.
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My Life Before Islam
Vagueness and Lack of Direction: Shakir describes his life before Islam as difficult and full of confusion. He lived wi
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My Life Before Islam
Sheikh Khalid Yasin was born in 1946 in New York to a Christian family and spent much of his childhood as an orphan des
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My Life Before Islam
Sonny Bill Williams was born on 3 August 1985 in Auckland, New Zealand, the son of a Samoan father and a Pākehā mother,
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My Life Before Islam
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was born Chris Jackson on March 9, 1969, in Gulfport, Mississippi. Raised by a single mother in pove
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My Life Before Islam
Stephen Jackson was born on 5 April 1978 in Houston, Texas, and grew up in Port Arthur, where basketball became his pat
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My Life Before Islam
A Brazilian doctor who spent 15 years searching for the truth. She read the Qur'an specifically looking for mistakes in
Learn MoreBrazil
My Life Before Islam
A Brazilian soldier who served in the army, distant from Islam and uninterested in religion. He lived an ordinary life
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Life Before Islam
Alessandro, a Brazilian taxi driver working at Sao Paulo mosque, was already Muslim and actively inviting others. One day,
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Life Before Islam
Lauren Booth was born in 1967 in North London to a model mother and actor father. She pursued acting, aiming for Hollywood
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Daniel, a British man, grew up Christian but was not devout. He studied in Bath and at Bristol University, where he first
Learn MoreUnited Kingdom · Christianity
Life Before Islam
Rahim Jung's mother, who had Irish heritage, was initially "vocally and passionately against religion" due to negative pas
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Life Before Islam
Amin, a Dutch man, was a Christian from the Netherlands. He decided to try fasting during Ramadan in order to understand I
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Life Before Islam
Tim (now Jamal), a British Christian, converted to Islam privately but faced family tension, especially from his mother wh
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Rebecca Hussain was born deaf in Bangladesh and moved to the United States at the age of three. Her parents realized he
Learn MoreUnited States · Christianity
Life Before Islam
Yusuf Estes, originally a Christian preacher, was deeply involved in Christianity with his father, a preacher, and a Catho
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Life Before Islam
Barbara, a young French woman, was raised Catholic but found many aspects of Catholicism illogical, which led her to leave
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My Life Before Islam
Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. Raised as a Baptist, he
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My Life Before Islam
Marmaduke William Pickthall was born in London on April 7, 1875, the son of an Anglican clergyman. An educated, bookish
Learn MoreIndia · Hinduism
My Life Before Islam
A. R. Rahman was born A. S. Dileep Kumar on January 6, 1967, in Madras, today the city of Chennai, into a Hindu family.
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My Life Before Islam
I was always searching for the truth, constantly carrying a translation of the Holy Quran that I obtained from the Leed
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My Life Before Islam
Muhammad Asad was born Leopold Weiss on July 2, 1900, in Lemberg, then the capital of Galicia in the Austro-Hungarian E
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My Life Before Islam
Al-Qasim (formerly known as Adrian) lived a typical life in Spanish society. He never considered changing his religion
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My Life Before Islam
Timothy Winter was born on 15 May 1960 in London and grew up in Highgate, the son of the celebrated architect John Wint
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My Life Before Islam
Titus Burckhardt was born on 24 October 1908 in Florence, into one of the most distinguished families of Basel; his fat
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My Life Before Islam
Yvonne Ridley was born on 23 April 1958 in Consett, County Durham, in the north of England, and rose to become the chie
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